It's been a while since I wrote an article for Foundation Views. Excuses, excuses. We all know how life can get in the way. Some of what has gotten in the way is working hard with the American Thoracic Society (ATS) to raise awareness of ARDS and ARDS Foundation with those medical professionals who are unaware our charity exists. Of course, family, work, and other daily issues have take time and attention as well.

I have also faced many personal challenges along the way, as I am sure we all have, but most recently, I have faced a challenge that many of you are familiar with, a loved one with Acute Lung Injury. (ALI) And I found myself on the other side of the bed.

Every day, 30,000 to 40,000 ICU patients in the United States are suffering from acute brain dysfunction called delirium. This problem is getting larger every year due to the aging of our population. Traditionally, this is called "ICU Psychosis," and professionals have not thought it to be clinically significant. Using clinical tools designed and validated at Vanderbilt University, the ICU cognitive impairment study group has now shown that delirium is associated with a tripling of the risk of death within 6 months of ICU.

Even considering other factors such as age, severity of illness, duration of coma, and the use of psychoactive medications, every day spent in delirium by ICU patients was associated with a 10% higher risk of death and worse long-term cognitive function among survivors. Thousands of ICUs around the world are now implementing routine monitoring for delirium based on this work, which has been translated into 8 languages, and national guidelines have embraced delirium monitoring for the first time. Ongoing clinical trials are now exploring the safest and most effective ways to prevent and treat ICU delirium in hopes that such treatment will not only reduce delirium but also the high morbidity and mortality associated with it.

Here are some helpful suggestions for if you would like to help someone afflicted with ARDS or their families.

They were compiled by patients, family members, friends, and medical professionals. Some will help one patient and others will help others, but it is an example of different things that has offered comfort and support to someone dealing with ARDS.

Join the Cause! Fight ARDS/Save Lives

Hey everyone.... do something small. If you are on facebook, join the cause on Facebook!

If you are not on Facebook, join and then join the ARDS Foundation cause. After you join the cause, ask others also to join. Tell them why ARDS is near and dear to your heart, why you want to make a difference and maybe, just maybe, they will support ARDS and our joint fight to do something major to make a difference!

Jack was sinking fast, his vital signs registering alarming numbers. With every passing second, his doctor, Charles Prober, could see his patient being overwhelmed by sepsis, a deadly complication of infection that plagues hospitals worldwide.

Jack was sinking fast, his vital signs registering alarming numbers. With every passing second, his doctor, Charles Prober, could see his patient being overwhelmed by sepsis, a deadly complication of infection that plagues hospitals worldwide. "Jack is the hardest patient," counseled Prober's colleague, Lisa Shieh, MD, PhD, the medical director of quality in the Department of Medicine at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. "Give him some antibiotics."

Ask questions, share stories, or just read what others have said about their ARDS experiences...

H1N1-related ARDS patients who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation had a lower mortality rate than patients who did not, according to research findings.

Patients with H1N1-related ARDS transferred to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) centers had a considerably lower mortality rate than non-ECMO patients, according to study results published in the October 19 JAMA. Although ECMO, which supports gas exchange independently of a mechanical ventilator, remains a controversial treatment option, "These results strengthen the case for using ECMO in severe disease failure when the cause is potentially reversible, not just for H1N1," corresponding author Giles J. Peek, MD, FRCS-CTh, told Pulmonary Reviews.

Septic shock patients infected with antibiotic-resistant organisms generally do not have a higher risk of mortality, according to study results presented at the Chest 2011 annual meeting.

The American Thoracic Society/ARDS Foundation/Sepsis Alliance Partnership Grant was awarded to Nikolaos Maniatis, M.D., Ph.D. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

This is a joint research award will be co-funded by the ATS, the ARDS Foundation and the American Sepsis Alliance. For additional information about this grant and other medical research projects that ARDS Foundation has been involved in,

Acute lung injury patients on ventilators who require a feeding tube have a similar number of ventilator-free hospital days and similar mortality rates if they receive a low-calorie feeding program initially followed by a full-calorie program compared to a full-calorie program right away. These results are part of a new clinical study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

The patients in the low-calorie, or delayed, feeding program received about 400 calories per day for the first six days before advancing to a full feeding program. The patients enrolled in the full feeding program were advanced as quickly as they could tolerate to a full daily calorie and protein goal based on weight (averaging about 1,300 calories per day).